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“Is God Holding You Accountable… or Are We Just Getting It Wrong?” Part 2

 What Is “Response Accountability”?

Reclaiming Evangelism from the Theology of Threat


Yesterday we looked at the “Age of Accountability”—a belief that children are only spiritually accountable after reaching a certain age. Today, we explore a related but equally troubling idea:


“Response Accountability”


This belief teaches that once a person hears the Gospel—Jesus’ love, His death and resurrection and the offer of salvation—they are now spiritually accountable. In this framework:

  • If they respond positively, they are saved.
  • If they reject or ignore the message, they face eternal separation from God and the fires of hell.

The implication?
Knowledge becomes risky.


Hearing the Gospel, according to this logic, is a double-edged sword: it can save you—or it can seal your fate if you don’t respond correctly.


This raises deeply unsettling questions:

  • Are we better off not sharing the Gospel with someone who might reject it?
  • Does God truly condemn someone based on a single moment of misunderstanding or resistance?
  • Is the Good News actually... bad news for the wrong person?

This framework paints evangelism not as a gift, but as a gamble—a cosmic “now or never” moment where eternity hangs in the balance based on a human reaction.


But is this really the heart of the Gospel?


Tomorrow, we’ll unpack why both “Age of Accountability” and “Response Accountability” fall short of the grace Jesus revealed.


Gospel Thought for Today:


“No one is forced to believe—it is the Father who draws you…”
— John 6:44 (The Mirror)


You are not pressured into salvation. You are drawn into it—gently, lovingly, purposefully.
Truth isn’t a trap. It’s a mirror showing you your union with Christ.


Wag

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